It is with great sadness that we have to let everyone know that Popcorn has passed away. He went down in his stall on Friday morning, and the person who fed him immediately called us. Three people immediately came down to help him up, but he was so weak that it was very difficult for him. We also immediately called the vet who came out.
It took almost an hour to get Popcorn up, but he was very shaky and was obviously not doing well. She gave him some medication to help alleviate his immediate pain, but he was obviously still not well. The vet assessed him and gave us the difficult news: she did not think he would survive an intervention, and we would just be extending his misery. We made the very difficult decision to euthanize him so he would no longer be in any pain.
This news took us all very much by surprise because Popcorn had been doing very well. He was getting a professional massage three times a month, and compounded with his new shoes, he enjoyed running around in the arena. In fact, the night before, he cantered around in the arena, bucking and farting. A few months ago we moved Popcorn to a stall that was surrounded by three other horses, and this helped him a lot; he had all but stopped his weaving, and his weight was good. He seemed very happy and comfortable.
We are so heartbroken over his loss- we have only had him for a year, but he was a very special horse. Popcorn had a few volunteers who loved to work with him, and he was very much loved by all of us. He will very much be missed.